Invalid-bed.



PATENTED JAN. 6, 1903.

B. R. BUTLER. INVALID BED.

- APPLIGATIUN FILED SEPT. 2, 1902.

H0 MODEL.

- INVENTOP Z. JZZuZZ/f A BY @jLJJ A TTOHNEYJ do l ' WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BRAXTON R. BUTLER, OF FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

INVALID-BED.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 717,809, dated January 6, 1903. Application filed September 2, 1902. Serial No. 121,878. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, BRAXTON B. BUTLER, residingat Fay'etteville, in the county of Cumberland and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and Improved Invalid-Bed, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to that type of invalidbeds in which the head portion is-hinged to the body orlower portion and in which means, cooperatively connected with the two bed portions, is provided for elevating the head portion and sustaining it to its adjusted positions.

Myinvention comprehends a bed having a hinged head portion, a special arrangement of brace members for firmly supporting the head portion when at its lowermost position,

, and elevating means joined with the brace members and the stationary part of the bed operable by the patient while lying on the bed for raising or lowering the head portion, as desired; and in its more subordinate nature my invention consists in certain details of construction and novel combination of parts, all of which will hereinafter be fully explained and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bedframe constructed in accordance with my invention, the head portion being shown partly raised. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof, the head portion being at its lowermost position. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the bed-frame.

In its practical construction my invalidbed comprises a supporting-frame, which in its complete nature may be of the conventional shape, and it includes the sides a a, the head and foot portions h c, which, on the score of economy in construction, are formed by securing a pair of slats b c to the upper and lower edges of the head and foot ends of the sides a a. The sides a. consist of two sections joined by strap-hinges d, which are connected to theupper edge of the sides a, whereby to permit the upper or head portion H to swing upwardly to provide for the desired inclination of the head and back of the patient.

The lower or body portion B of the bed includes the cross-slats e, which in the preing and shipping of the bed-frame.

ferred construction is fixedly secured to the lower edge of the sides a of the said body portion'll, The spring-bottom C may be of any suitable construction, and in the simplest form is of ordinary coil-springs s s, properly connected, the lower ends of which are fixedly joined with the slats e, as shown. While I prefer to use the ordinary springs, as shown, woven-wire or other metallic spring-bottoms may be used, provided they have suflicient flexibility to readily bend at the hinged part of the bed-frame.

D designates a brace-bar which is disposed centrally of the bed-frame and extends 1ongitudinally the full length of the bed, and the said bar D is fixedly joined on the under side of the cross-slats c of the body portion 13 of the bed-frame.

The head portion H includes a number of cross-slats h, which are also preferably joined to the sides a c of the said head portion and to which the upper part of the spring-bottom is connected, as shown. The said head portion H includes a pair of longitudinally-extended bars f f, which are made fast to the crossslats h h, and with their inner ends extended, as atff, to project under the inner ones of the cross-slats h of the stationary or foot portion B of the bed-frame, and the said extensions f'f' are joined by the cross-bar f which adds rigidity to the said extension f f and also serves as a movable support for the guide-sheave 3, the purpose of which will presently appear.

F designates acombined support and sheave carrier pendent-1y secured to the upper portion of the brace-bar D, and hinged thereto to fold flatwise thereagainst to facilitate pack- So far as described it will be apparent that when the twobed portions are in a horizontal plane the upper'or hinged end will have a solid or central support on the upper or extended end of the bar D, which is firmly braced by the member .E, which forms a rigid leg or brace therefor, while the inner portion of the lower Cooperatively connected with the brace members D F f is a peculiarly-constructed means for elevating the head portion, and especially designed so it can be conveniently manipulated by the patient resting on the bed. In the preferred arrangement of said means a winding-drum Gis provided, which is located between a pair of brackets g g, secured to pair of the cross-bars e 6, located sufficiently close to one of the side bars a, that the patient can reach under the bed and operate the crank-handle g for manipulating the drum G, which drum, it should be stated, is equipped with a pawl-and-ratchet device of the usual construction to hold the elevating means to its adjusted positions, and to admit of the patient conveniently manipulating the pawl-and-ratchet devices, which are indicated by g the same are mounted on the under side of the lower bracket 9, as shown in Fig. 3.

I designates the elevating cord or cable, one end of which is made fast to the drum G, and its free end is extended transversely of the bed, passes over a guide 1, secured to one end of the brace-bar D, from whence it passes down over a guide-sheave 2, mounted on the lower end of the member F, from whence it extends back and over the guide-sheave 3, mounted on the cross-bar as before stated, and from thence forward again to the member F, to which or to the sheave 2 mounted thereon the said end is made fast.

J designates a stay rope or cable for bracing the member F against undue pull strain in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is believed the construction and advantages of my invention will be readily apparent.

In operation to raise the head portion to the position desired it is only necessary to reach under the side of the bed and manipulate the crank member of the drum G. It will be noticed that the connections for the elevating cables or cord are such that the guides therefor are maintained in a proper operative combination under the different adjustments of the head portion of the bedframe, such combination being provided for by having the sheave 3 movable with the cross member f of the brace-frame for the said head portion. v

Iam aware thatmeans forelevatingahinged head portion, includingawinding mechanism and cable devices and guides therefor, have heretofore been provided, and I therefore make no claim, broadly, for such features. My invention differentiates from what has heretofore been provided in this art so far as I know in the peculiar correlation of the longitudinal brace-bar D on the body portion B, the pendent hinged member F, the winding cable, the brace-bars f f f and the peculiar arrangement of the guide-sheaves.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. In a bed of the character described, the combination with the body portion, and the head portion hinged thereto; of a longitudinal brace-bar secured to the foot portion and extended under the head portion, a member pendently secured to the extended end of said bar, a brace-frame secured to the under side of the head portion, said frame having its inner end projected to extend under the body portion, a pull-cable secured to the free end of the longitudinal brace-bar, a guide on the brace-frame of the head portion, guides on the stationary portion of the bed-frame for the said pull-cable, and means for operating the said pull cord or cable, all being arranged substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination with the body portion B, including the cross-slats and the brace-bar D, said bar having a portion which extends beyond the body portion B, the pendent member F, hinged to said extended portion of the bar D, and the guidesheave 1, mounted upon the bar D; of the head portion I-I, hinged to the body portion to swing upwardly, and including the cross-slats h; the brace members ff secured to the said slats and projected beyond the inner end of the portion H, the crossbar f joined with the members ff, the winding-drum mounted on the stationary bedframe portion, adjacent one side thereof, a sheave mounted on the cross-bar f another sheave mounted on the lower end of the pendent member F, and a pull rope or cable secured at one end to the drum, its other end being passed through the sheaves 1 2 3, and thence back and made fast to the member F, all being arranged substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination with the body portion 13 and the bar D connected thereto, said bar having an extension which projects under the head portion H, the pendent member F secured to the extended end of the bar D, the guide-sheave 1 on the said bar D, the guidesheave 2 on the lower end of the member F, and the pull cord or cable, said cord or cable being passed through the sheaves 1 and 2 and connected to the member F, and provided with a looped portion; of the head portion I-I hinged to the body part B, to swing upwardly, said head portion having a member projected beyond the point at which the pull-cable connects with the member F, a guide-sheave for the looped portion of the said cable, movable with the projected member of the head portion H, and means for operating the said pull cord or cable, all being arranged substantially as shown and for the purposes described.

BRAXTON R. BUTLER.

Witnesses:

I. D. BLAoK, H. MoD'. ROBINSON. 

